Metabolism of malaria parasite-infected erythrocytes and mechanisms for enhancing immune susceptibility

Objectives

*Original title and text were machine translated from Japanese.

This study aims to clarify the mechanism by which MHC class I-positive erythroid cells appear in metformin-treated mice, the characteristics of these cells, and whether they are likely to be targeted by CD8+ T cells.

Principal Institution

Nagasaki University, Japan

Principal Investigators / Focal Persons

Mana Miyakoda

Rationale and Abstract

It is difficult to obtain lifelong immunity against malaria. One of the reasons for this is that malaria parasites parasitize red blood cells, making them difficult to be targeted by antibodies and cytotoxic cells. It has been previously discovered that when metformin, a drug with metabolic regulation functions, is administered to mice, MHC class I-positive protozoan-infected erythroid cells appear early in the infection. Based on these findings, it was predicted that metformin would change infected red blood cells to a state where they would become more likely to be targeted by cytotoxic T cells.

External reference

Project details

Thematic Categories

Basic Science

Date

Apr 2023 — Mar 2026

Total Project Funding

$35,882

Funding Details

Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), Japan

Grant ID: 23K06517

JPY 4.81M